MasukShare
CHAPTER TWO — HIS PARANOIA
Tanggal publikasi:
2026-01-31 18:40:17Aria's pov.
He had removed his jacket and his white shirt was rolled to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms.
The table was set with enough food for a small army. Eggs, toast, fresh fruit, pastries and even coffee.
Lucien sat at the head of the table, reading something on his tablet. He didn't look up when I entered.
"Sit down and eat," he said still not looking at me.
I sat across him and for a moment, neither of us spoke.
I picked up a piece of toast and that was when his eyes finally lifted.
He watched me take a bite with an intensity that made my skin prickle. Like he was cataloging every movement and every micro-expression, looking for signs that I was planning something.
"I'm not going to run," I said quietly.
His lips curved into something that might have been a smile on anyone else. But on Lucien, it just looked bitter.
"You've said that before, usually right before you try something creative."
"I mean it this time."
"You've said that before too." He set down his tablet and leaned back, studying me with those unreadable grey eyes. "Three weeks ago, you told me you were done fighting, that you understood I was just trying to protect you. You seemed so sincere."
He paused as something flickered across his perfect features, pain? maybe or anger.
"The next morning, you drugged the coffee you made for me and tried to steal my car keys while I was unconscious."
I flinched subconsciously, How come I didn't remember that but I actually believed him.
"I was wrong," I said. "About everything. About you, about Lydia, about Ethan…"
"Don't." Lucien said sharply as he stood up in one fluid motion, I saw his hands clench briefly before he controlled it. "Don't mention his name in my house."
There it was, real emotion breaking through that controlled facade. That was jealousy, raw and visceral.
"Lucien…"
"Eat your breakfast, Aria." His voice was cold again, perfectly controlled. "I have a meeting at nine."
He walked toward the door, then stopped.
"Marcus and Chen will be here within the hour. They'll stay with you while I'm gone. Don't try to seduce them because it won't work. Don't try to bribe them as well, they're paid very well. And don't try to outsmart them." He finally turned to look at me with his ice like grey eyes.
"Because if you manage to escape while I'm gone, within an hour, I will find you and when I do, I will not be gentle while I bring you back."
The threat should have terrified me, but Instead, it made my heart race for entirely different reasons.
Oh no, what was wrong with me? Why did his possessive control suddenly seem protective instead of suffocating?
"I won't try to escape," I said with the widest grin my thin lips could allow.
Lucien's expression didn't change. "We'll see about that."
He quietly walked out as I heard him giving instructions about security protocols and monitoring schedule to someone on his phone.
All because of me.
I continued eating as my mind began to race.
I couldn't just suddenly be the perfect, compliant wife. Lucien would never believe it, he would think it was another manipulation.
I needed to be smart about this and also strategic and I needed to deal with Lydia and Ethan, not by cutting them off, but by making them pay for what they'd done, no…what they were going to do.
But to do that, I had to keep them close. I had to let them think they still had a chance.
I was still picking at my food when I heard the front door open and close. Lucien was leaving for work.
A part of me wanted to run after him to see him one more time before he left but I hurriedly shook my head at the thought.
Two men in dark suits appeared in the doorway. They looked professional and alert. The kind of security only serious money could buy.
"Mrs. Blackwood," the taller one said with a slight nod. "I'm Marcus. This is Chen. We'll be here until Mr. Blackwood returns."
"I know," I said quietly. "He has told me."
Marcus's expression flickered with surprise. Usually, I would have been screaming about being babysat, about being treated like a prisoner.
But that won't be happening today… not anymore.
I spent the next hour trying to read, but I just couldn't focus. My mind kept drifting to Lucien. To the pain I'd seen flickering in his eyes, the way his voice had cracked, just for a moment, when he'd mentioned my escape attempts.
I'd broken something in him and I didn't know if I could fix it.
Suddenly, my phone buzzed, interrupting my train of thoughts.
Lydia: Hey babe! How are you feeling today? I'm worried about you. Can I come over? I miss you!
I stared at the message, bile rising in my throat.
In my previous timeline, if that was what it was, I would have immediately responded. I would have literally begged her to come, crying about how trapped I felt.
Now, seeing her message made my skin crawl but I still needed to play along, at least for now.
Me: I'm okay. I'm just tired. Maybe later this week?
Three dots appeared immediately.
Lydia: Later this week?! Aria, you tried to KILL yourself last night! I'm coming over RIGHT NOW. I won't take no for an answer.
My hands tightened on the phone.
Of course she was coming. She needed to make sure her manipulation was still working, she needed to drive that wedge between me and Lucien deeper.
Me: Okay. I'll tell security to let you up.
I went to Marcus. "My friend Lydia is coming over. Lucien knows her, she's been visiting regularly."
Marcus's expression tightened almost imperceptibly. "Mr. Blackwood left specific instructions about Ms. Moore."
"Which are?"
"She's to be allowed entry only if you explicitly request it." He paused. "And we're to remain in the apartment at all times during her visit."
Bab terbaru
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE — THE GENEVA PROTOCOL
Aria's POVGeneva was cold. A sharp, biting wind blew off the lake, and the city felt gray and institutional. We checked into a hotel that didn't have a name on the outside, just a discreet black door and a concierge who recognized Lucien on sight."David Park is in the suite," Lucien said as we stepped into the elevator. "He’s found the address. Mercer is staying in a villa in Cologny. High security, private docks, the works.""It’s a fortress," I said, checking the feed on my phone. "But every fortress has a weak point. Usually, it’s the people who work there.""Park is already working on the staff," Lucien said. "But we need to move fast. If Mercer sees the jet on the tarmac, he’ll know we’re here."&
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR — THE UNEXPECTED VARIABLE
Aria's POVHe stayed behind me for a long moment, the heat of his presence grounding me even as the data on the screen tried to pull me into a vortex of paranoia. I could feel the slight tension in his posture. He was looking at the graphs, but I knew he was really looking at me."The jet is fueled," he said, his voice regaining its usual steady cadence. "But before we go, I want to know exactly what you’re planning to do with that information. You’re not just going to hand it to David Park, are you?"I turned the chair around, looking up at him. "Park is good for finding people, Lucien. But he doesn't understand the nuance of behavioral economics. He sees a target, I see a pattern. If we just go to Geneva and try to
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE — THE SILENCE BETWEEN US
Aria's POVI sighed and took a bite. "Fine. But you're paying for this.""I always pay, Aria. It’s part of the contract."We ate in a comfortable, loaded silence for a few minutes. Lucien watched me with that steady, unhurried attention that always made me feel like he was reading my thoughts in real-time. He wasn't the "Dark Lord" right now, he was just a man enjoying a meal with his wife, but the authority was still there, woven into the way he sat and the way he held his glass."Mercer isn't just a consultant," I said, setting my fork down after the required three bites. "I went back through the LSE alumni records while you were on that call with David Park. He did
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO — THE WEIGHT OF A NAME
Aria's POV"Always," he replied.He didn’t move. He stayed right there, looming over me in the confined space of the elevator, his hand still firm on the back of my neck. The elevator began its smooth, silent descent, and for a few seconds, the only sound was the faint hum of the machinery and the steady rhythm of his breathing.I looked up at him, my heart still doing that strange, fluttering thing. "You didn’t tell me Halloway was on the list. You let me walk into that room thinking we were just fishing.""I told you I had the beginning of an idea," Lucien said, his voice dropping into that low, resonant tone that always seemed to vibrate right through me. "I didn't want you overthinking your performance. If you kne
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE — THE BOARDROOM PERFORMANCE
~Aria's POV~The boardroom of the Blackwood building felt like a courtroom. Twelve men and women sat around the long glass table, their faces masks of professional indifference. At the head of the table, Lucien sat with his jacket unbuttoned, looking bored, his fingers drumming a slow, rhythmic beat on the surface.I sat to his right. I’d chosen a sharp, emerald-green suit, a color Lucien had once called 'dangerous.' I had my tablet open, but I wasn't looking at spreadsheets. I was looking at the people in the room."The Victor Hale situation has been handled," Lucien said, his voice flat and unhurried. "The police have him. The acquisition strategy he was pursuing is dead.""And the Mercer connection
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER EIGHTY — THE ARCHITECT IN THE SHADOWS
~Aria's POV~The morning sun didn't feel like a victory. It hit the glass walls of the penthouse with a cold, sharp brightness that made the events at the pier feel like a fever dream.I woke up with the scent of sandalwood still clinging to my skin. Lucien was already gone from the bed, leaving only a slight indentation in the pillow and a heavy sense of his presence. I found him in the study, already dressed in a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows, staring at a set of encrypted files on his main monitor."Victor didn't talk," Lucien said in a low voice. He didn't look up as I entered. "Marcus spent three hours with him before the police transport arrived. He’s terrified, Aria. But not of us. He’
FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER EIGHT — THE LOVELY CHAT
Aria's POV.Helena circled me slowly, like a jeweler examining a stone for flaws. I felt her gaze catalog every detail, my casual clothes, my minimal makeup, my simple ponytail."Hmm," she said finally, and the sound conveyed volumes of disapproval."Mother," Lucien's voice held a warn
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2026-03-17FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER NINE — THE MATRIARCH'S ULTIMATUM
“This is an agreement I've had my lawyers draft. It's quite simple, really. You have six months to conceive an heir to the Blackwood fortune. If you succeed, you'll continue as Lucien's wife with all the privileges that entails." She paused, letting that sink in. "If you fail, yo
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2026-03-17FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER 42: UNEXPECTED VISITOR
Aria's POVI heard a soft, dry chuckle. It was the sound of a woman who had just been handed the ultimate leverage. She knew exactly why he was staying, it was the "Aria effec
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2026-04-05FORCED TO WED THE BILLIONAIRE CHAPTER 41: THE CRISIS
Aria's POV"It’s been buzzing for three minutes, Lucien," I whispered, reaching back to stroke his hair. "It might be important ."He finally reached out, his hand grabbing the&z
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2026-04-04
Anda juga akan menyukai
The CEO's Ex-Wife Is A Famous Doctor
LiLhyz4.0M DibacaPowerful Papa with Triplet Babies
Pink Dolphin633.2K DibacaThe Three Little Guardian Angels
Ginger Bud3.2M DibacaThe CEO's Addiction To Love
Moonlight City953.1K DibacaOBSESSED WITH MY EX-WIFE
Karine writes 7 DibacaBought by the bratva boss
Zanyla farad110 DibacaWhen Winter Blooms
V.Nicot211 DibacaBetween Breathe And Goodbye
Empress Jessica9 Dibaca
